The Rolling Stones

Since the early Sixties, the Rolling Stones have been criss-crossing the globe, playing to millions of adoring fans and earning the distinction of being the greatest touring band of all time. Their energy, their spectacle and most importantly, their music have set the standard for all others to follow. From their modest beginnings in 1963, playing small London jazz clubs, to headlining tours in Britain and the U.S. in the mid-Sixties, to the theatrical mega tours of following decades, the Stones have writhed their way across thousands of stages in hundreds of cities and have graduated from cramped tour vans to private jets, and from dark clubs to large outdoor stadiums. Today, the Rolling Stones are known for their extravagant productions, full of fireworks and flash, and record-smashing ticket sales. After four decades, the Stones are still the toughest act to follow. The Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Featured in the exhibit is the Rolling Stones Pinball Machine that guitarist Keith Richards kept and played in his house. It plays excerpts of the Rolling Stones’ classic songs “Satisfaction,” “Jumping Jack Flash,” “Miss You” and “When the Whip Comes Down.” Also featured are a number of Mick Jagger’s stage outfits, Brian Jones’ dulcimer, as well as Keith Richards’ jacket, worn at the Altamont Festival that took place in Northern California on December 6, 1969 and seen in Gimme Shelter, the 1970 documentary film about the concert. The exhibit includes numerous Rolling Stones singles, such as “Tell Me,” “I Just Wanna Make Love to You,” “It’s All Over Now,” “Time is On My Side,” “Congratulations,” “The Last Time,” “Play with Fire,” and “Get Off My Cloud.” Along with these singles is the set list written by Keith Richards for a concert during the group’s American tour, the food and drink memo that stipulated the refreshments the group required in their backstage dressing rooms for their Madison Square Garden shows, and an anonymous hate letter written to the Rolling Stones in 1966.